


for once in my life.

by spncereid



Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: 9-1-1 - Freeform, 911, M/M, all the fluff and a game of scrabble, also ignore how often i switch between chris and christopher, because he just LOVES EDDIE, buck x eddie, buddie, in which buck prepares a big speech and then bombs it, lots of EMOTIONS n more than likely you'll cry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-27
Updated: 2019-10-27
Packaged: 2021-01-04 05:34:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,971
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21192410
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spncereid/pseuds/spncereid
Summary: "There’s just something about Eddie and Christopher that makes Buck want to lay his entire heart and soul out for them. "buck and eddie have a day off and they spend it with christopher, playing scrabble, and proposing to each other. no big deal, just a typical day.





	for once in my life.

Nights like tonight felt like dreams. It wasn’t often Buck and Eddie shared a day off, ones where they could grocery shop in the morning and go to the park all afternoon with Christopher. Buck’s hand might have been sore from holding Chris’ but it was the best kind of sore, the kind he’d endure for a thousand lifetimes if it meant more times like this. Eddie has insisted on cooking tonight, which meant Buck and Chris stayed clear of the kitchen. The family unit had parted ways earlier that evening, Buck making Eddie promise not to start a fire and Chris exclaiming that “at least Buck could save us all again!” Eddie had just smiled, kissing his boyfriend on the cheek and shooing them both from the room.  
  
Again. The word echoed in Buck’s mind. As if any of them would ever forget the tsunami. It had changed all of them in ways that could never be reversed or fixed. What all of them endured that day, even if some of it was separately, had made Buck and Eddie realize just how precious life was. Chris had been overjoyed the day they told him the news that they were dating. His two heroes under one roof, Chris had never felt safer. The year following had been one of learning, growing, and loving. Buck hardly ever slept at his place anymore and Eddie didn’t mind sharing his bed. Breaking the news to the 118 had been a jumble of nerves and hugs, congratulatory pats on the back from Bobby and “we knew it”s from Hen and Chim. Buck couldn’t even remember who said “I love you” first – him, Eddie, or Chris. All Buck knew is Eddie and Chris were where he belonged, no matter where they were.  
  
Buck and Christopher were in the living room now, the house filled with the scent of Eddie’s cooking and the sounds of Chris’ rambunctious laughter. Eddie poked his head around the corner, catching Buck’s eye and smiling before announcing that dinner was ready. Buck and Chris made a show of being starved, rubbing their stomachs and “growling,” as they took their places at the table, Eddie at the head of the table with Chris and Buck on either side. As they all prepared to dig into the meal, Eddie reached for Buck’s hand under the table. Even the short time in the kitchen alone had made Eddie miss his boyfriend, regardless of the fact he had just been in the next room. Eddie didn’t know how to be without him anymore and he didn’t think he wanted to.  
  
As the family ate together, the two firefighters regaled Chris with stories of their calls from the day before. They kept gorey details to a minimum, as a rule, but Chris loved to listen to their tales. In his mind, they were both superheroes, saving the world one day at a time. Chris loved to tell his friends and teachers about his two dads and the people they saved. The phrasing of “two dads” had confused teachers at first and had been brought up at a parent-teacher conference, but Eddie thought it was perfect that Chris thought of Buck like a father. Chris’ bedroom walls were covered in photos of the three. Every inch of that house made it feel like it had always been the trio. Buck fit into their lives in the most perfect way. He had ever since the day Eddie met him. Being with Buck was the most natural Eddie had ever felt and the ease of Buck and Christopher’s relationship had been a breath of fresh air.  
  
After dinner was cleaned and all the dishes neatly stowed back in cupboards, all three of them gathered together in the living room. Buck and Chris presented their surprise to Eddie – the Scrabble board set up on the coffee table. Eddie and Buck loved to joke that Chris’ favorite thing to do was beat them at Scrabble but they were both truly in awe of him. Decades younger and Chris was already smarter than both of them – and knew it too. As Eddie began to set up for the three of them and pass out letter tiles, Buck’s phone buzzed in his pocket. He flashed an apologetic smile to Eddie, mumbling something about how it was probably Maddie, and stepped out of the room to answer the call. A glance at caller ID told him it was Carla. Buck wondered why he’d be calling him and not Eddie, but he picked it up just as voicemail was about to kick in.  
  
“Hey, doll. How’s everything? I just wanted to see if you boys needed me to take care of Christopher after school tomorrow?” Carla’s voice was bright, cheery, and straight to the point. Buck could imagine her smile, wide and shining, as she talked. Truthfully, it had been a while since the pair needed Carla’s services. Bobby had a soft spot for the boys and usually made exceptions for them to pick Chris up and they took turns doing it. A lot of times, Maddie or Abuela would watch Chris. Not to mention, Christmas break would be soon so the schedule would get easier for a little bit.  
  
Buck hesitated for a moment before replying, “Tomorrow is Maddie’s day to babysit and she’s so excited to do it. You can take the day off.”  
  
Carla chuckled on other end, “Honey, I’ve had too many days off from that beautiful little boy! It’s like you and Eddie don’t even need me since you got together.”  
  
Buck laughed at her tone. It might have read as a complaint, but Carla would never mean it that way. She had been one of the happiest when Eddie and Buck had announced their relationship. Call it a sixth sense, but she saw it coming from a mile away. She always joked with Maddie that the way the two always looked at each other, it was hard not to see that coming.  
  
“Tell you what – why don’t I text Maddie and you can come over to see her and Chris tomorrow?” Buck compromised, knowing Maddie had been saying she hadn’t seen enough of Carla either. The two had become fast friends and loved their gossip sessions. He knew this could satisfy Carla’s need to see Chris and Maddie’s need to talk to Carla at the same time. Plus, it would give him and Eddie more time alone after work tomorrow. Everyone won.  
  
“That sounds perfect. I have some things to catch her up on. Just don’t you and Eddie forget about me!”  
  
“No way, Carla. You’ve been a godsend to Eddie. You know that.”  
  
Buck could hear her smirk before she even spoke, “No, honey, the godsend has been you. You better lock him down quickly, you know!”  
  
Buck’s expression grew confused as her words sunk in.  
  
“Carla, he’s already my boyfriend. What more –”  
  
She cut him off, “You know what I mean, Evan. Maddie told me about that ring you bought.”  
  
Buck’s expression softened, forming into a smile, as he turned his head to watch Eddie and Chris having a tickling fight in the other room.  
  
“You know what, Carla? You might be right about that.”  
  
This time, her reply was a hearty laugh.  
  
“If you know anything, Buck, you know I’m always right!”  
  
The smile still on his face, Buck turned his head away from the scene in front of him as he said goodbye to Carla, promising to have Maddie text her tomorrow. As he hung up the phone, he saw Eddie chasing Chris around the house. The two burst into where Buck stood, Chris sliding behind Buck, using Buck’s body as a shield from Eddie’s tickle monster. Eddie eyed the situation and smirked, reaching out his hands.  
  
“Don’t think I won’t tickle both of you!” He exclaimed, making a dash towards Buck and Chris. Buck laughed, turning around and picking Chris up in one swift motion. Eddie’s tickle attack descended on Chris’ side and Buck joined in until Chris was nothing but a fit of giggles. As the scene calmed, Eddie reached out to take Chris from Buck. Chris growing weary, he rested his head on his father’s shoulder. Buck took Eddie’s hand and they all walked together back into the living room. Setting Christopher down on the couch, Eddie and Buck took opposite sides of the coffee table, wondering if it was worth it to return to the planned game. They were two rounds in when they heard noticed Chris sleeping softly. Buck mimed putting a finger to his lips, letting Eddie know to be quiet. Eddie nodded before continuing to play his word.  
  
“And that’s jukebox for a whopping 77 points. I think I’m winning, babe.” Eddie whispered as he laid down the last tile. Buck leaned over, eyeing the play his boyfriend had just made. The math was right, the word was real… and Eddie was winning.  
  
Buck eyed Eddie next. “For once, I’d like to win one of these games,” he grumbled. Eddie laughed softly, reaching over to pat Buck’s knee.  
  
“Keep trying, honey. Maybe you can read Chris’ vocab charts.” He joked as Buck tried to form some word, any word, from his remaining tiles. He built off Eddie’s use of X to form “six” for 10 points. That still left him 30 points behind Eddie. As Eddie went to work trying to build his next Scrabble conquest, Buck studied him. The way he squinted as he concentrated, his pursed lips, and his smirk. Buck couldn’t help himself from smiling as he stared. How he’d gotten this lucky, how he’d gotten to live this life with the love of his life and the most wonderful kid in the entire universe… he wasn’t sure. But he didn’t plan on letting this moment or these people pass. Buck had spent his life letting go of great things but he would be damned if Eddie and Chris got away from him.  
  
Buck cleared his throat, murmuring an excuse, and walked off into the bedroom he and Eddie had grown to share. The room is small and usually quiet, but Buck enjoys it. It’s completely different from how he used to live his life and the ways in which he used to take up other people’s beds and that’s why he loves it here. The room had become a sanctuary and the other man usually in the bed had become his home. Buck walked to the closet, where he had officially taken up half the space, and bent down to retrieve a cardboard box off the floor. This box held the things he had been too sentimental about to throw out his entire life – childhood birthday cards, photos of he and Maddie as children, and even newspaper clippings of the 118’s triumphs. He rifled through some of these things for a moment before he felt what he was looking for. He pulled a small, black box from the bottom and popped it open. There, nestled perfectly still in velvet, was the engagement ring he’d bought months ago. Truth was, Buck had known since his first kiss with Eddie that he was never going to leave him. Eddie has been a sure thing for Buck since they met, but that kiss sealed their fate together. At this point, Buck could only hope Eddie felt the same way. The glances they shared, the tender way Eddie touched him… it seemed like he also wanted an eternity of those same glances and touches. There’s just something about Eddie and Christopher that makes Buck want to lay his entire heart and soul out for them. He’d never been like that before and, while it had taken some getting used to at first, he hoped he felt that way forever. Tonight, he would give Eddie the speech he’d practiced in the mirror and pray to everything that Eddie laid his soul down too. Buck already knew he had Eddie’s heart, but a soul was much more to ask of someone.  
  
The door to the bedroom creaked open and Buck jumped, shoving the lid back on the box and pushing the ring box deep inside his pocket before standing. He had just enough time to take a deep breath before Eddie popped his head into the closet. Eddie’s eyes roamed the tiny room before landing on Buck. Eddie gave a soft smile before reaching a hand out. Taking his hand, Buck’s anxiety level dropped. As they walked back out to the living room, Eddie spoke first.  
“Thought you might’ve gotten lost in there.” It was quiet and Eddie tried not to let it, but his irrational fear of losing Buck crept into his tone. Eddie cleared his throat, clearly nervous, and Buck waited. Waited for what, he wasn’t sure, but he would spend a million days waiting for Eddie if he had to.  
  
“Do you want to finish the game? I believe I was in the middle of winning.” Eddie regained composure, and Buck looked at him. Did he want to finish a game of Scrabble? Not really. He wanted to propose to the love of his life, this wonderment of a man standing before him asking if he wanted to finish their game of Scrabble. He wanted to tell Eddie that he’d never thought about kids before he met Chris. He wanted to tell Eddie that he wanted to spend the rest of this lifetime and every second of any others having nights like these. He wanted to have people say “two dads” at Christopher’s school and have it be the truth. He wanted to tell Eddie that he was it, that Eddie and Chris were all he’d ever need.  
  
Buck swallowed the lump in his throat and looked squarely at Eddie, who was still waiting for his answer.  
  
“Eddie, I have something to tell you.” Except Buck looked concerned, so Eddie became concerned.  
  
“Should we sit?” Eddie questioned, eyebrows knit in confusion. He couldn’t fathom why Buck was acting so weird.  
  
“I think you might need to be sitting for this” was Buck’s reply, though he cringed after it came out of his mouth. He wanted to ask Eddie to spend his life with him, so why did this start like a breakup? He took a deep breath and tried to remember his planned speech, but all that occurred to him was how much he loved this very patient man who was waiting for him to get his act together. The more worried Buck looked, the more concerned Eddie became. Eddie reached out again for Buck’s hand and the warmth that washed over Buck from gripping onto his anchor steadied his racing pulse and blurry mind.  
  
Another deep breath. He could do this. It was only asking Eddie to marry him. It was fine, totally fine.  
  
“Eddie, I love you. You, uh, you know that. This past year, with you and Chris, has been the best year of my life.” Buck began, but the world still spun. Deep breath, continue. Eddie squeezed his hand and Buck smiled.  
  
“It’s been the best year of my life too, babe.” Eddie filled up the space Buck left empty.  
  
“Yeah, I mean, we’ve both become so much more than we used to be. Eddie, you’ve given me a purpose. Well, you and Chris. You know I love Chris like a son. He- he feels like family.” Buck shook his head at himself. How did he actually think he could get through this whole thing without tripping? Eddie waited, ever the more patient one in the relationship, and just looked at Buck. It occurred to Buck that maybe he should just say it. Eddie already knows everything he wants to say.  
“Eddie, you know all of this. And it’s stupid that I wrote up this whole big speech to try and communicate to you how I feel when you already know. You know that you and Chris are the best things that have happened to me. You know that you’re it for me. You know that Chris is like a son to me. You know that I never corrected that woman years ago when we took Chris to see Santa because the thought of you and I raising Chris felt foreign, yet exciting at the same time. Maybe what you don’t know is that I can’t imagine a day without you or Chris in it. I wouldn’t want to live any of those days. Eddie, Edmundo Diaz, I- I love you more than words could ever express. You’re my one and only.” Buck was holding back tears at this point, as he reached into his pocket. He looked up, into Eddie’s eyes, to see him blinking back tears as well. The grip Eddie had on Buck’s other hand had grown fierce and protective and full of love. It felt like he didn’t plan on letting go.  
  
Just as Buck grasped the ring box in his hand, Eddie placed his free hand on top of Buck’s. Confused, Buck glanced up at him. Why was he being stopped mid-proposal? Had he read Eddie wrong? Did he not want to be married? Did it have to do with his history? Shit. Maybe they should’ve had this conversation beforehand.  
  
Eddie smiled, eyes glistening, and reached into his own pocket. Buck’s eyes went wide when he saw Eddie pull out a small black box of his own. Eddie spoke next.  
  
“Buck, honey, if I’m guessing correctly, I’d say that what you’re about to say was the very same question I was going to ask you tonight.”  
  
Buck let out a short laugh, “I- I don’t know what to say right now.”  
  
Eddie’s hand touched Buck’s knee as Buck grew more baffled. Not only did the man he want to marry feel the same, but he was going to ask him too. The very same night. They couldn’t have planned this better if they wanted to.  
  
“Go on, Buck. Ask me.” Eddie’s tone was soft, encouraging. Buck’s hands were shaking. He felt like he was living in a dream world but, then again, every day with Eddie felt that way.  
  
Deep breath.  
  
“Eddie, love. Will you marry me and make my entire life feel like this last year?” Buck popped open the box still in his hand and the soft living room light glinted off the ring in the box.  
  
Instead of answering, Eddie returned the gesture in kind.  
  
“Only if you, Evan Buckley, will marry me and make me and Chris even happier than you already have.” Eddie had taken the ring for Buck out of the box and held it now in his hand.  
  
Both of them had let the tears spill over now as they beamed at each other. Out of the corner of his eye, Buck saw the Scrabble board still set up. Christopher slept on the couch in the middle of the room. Everything was perfect. This moment was the most perfect one of his entire life. Buck met Eddie’s eyes and they shared a beat of silence.  
  
“Of course I will.”  
  
“Absolutely, yes.”  
  
Their answers rang out at the same time and they laughed as they slipped rings on each other’s fingers. Beaming, crying, and both in shock, the couple twined their fingers together. Cool metal against skin was a new sensation, but one they were already loving. Buck breathed a sigh of relief, all of his previous worries forgotten. This man was his now and his alone. Buck realized that no one, even he, would’ve expected this of himself. Telling everyone was going to be a journey, but right now he just wanted to live in this moment. He wanted to live with his boyfriend… wait a minute, fiancé. He wanted to breathe the same air as Eddie for as long as he could.  
  
Before Buck had even regained his mind, Eddie surged forward, pressing his lips to Buck’s. The tension and passion of what they had just done communicated through the kiss. Buck brought his still shaking hands up on either side of Eddie’s neck. Their bodies pressed together, sinking into each other. Buck could feel Eddie smiling against his lips when they parted for a second, and the next kiss was shorter and sweeter. It was “I love you” but in a different tone. Hands still laced together, eyes still locked on each other’s, bodies still pressed tightly… they both glanced at the couch as they heard Christopher stir.  
  
The pair jumped apart. So far, they’d kept Christopher sheltered from the physical aspect of their relationship and they didn’t want to scar his young mind just yet, regardless of terrific circumstances. Eddie got up first, disentangling himself from Buck, and walked over to the couch to crouch in front of his child.  
  
“Hey, buddy.” Eddie whispered, pushing back wisps of Chris’ hair. Eddie smiled at his son and the whole world twinkled in front of Buck. Buck got up too, joining Christopher on the couch, taking the sleepy boy in his arms as he yawned.  
Eddie looked at Buck before speaking again.  
  
“Chris, is it alright if Bucky and I share some news with you?”  
  
Chris, still halfway asleep, nodded as he snuggled closer into Buck’s chest. Eddie climbed onto the couch next to his favorite people in the world and caressed Chris’ warm cheek.  
  
Buck let Eddie handle the news, unsure of how to explain since he hadn’t fully come to terms himself.  
  
“Hey, you remember how your mother and I were a couple? And we lived together? And we showed you our special rings one time?” Eddie spoke softly, keeping his eyes on Chris to make sure all his words were soaking in.  
  
“Yes, daddy.” Chris whispered, “But you and Bucky already do live together.”  
  
Buck chuckled at that and Eddie continued, “Do you remember what I told you those special rings meant?”  
  
Another sleepy nod from Chris, “That you had made a commitment to love mommy each and every day. And you were married.”  
  
Eddie beamed, “What if I told you Buck and I just exchanged special rings?”  
  
This woke Christopher up fully. He sat straight up, mouth open in surprise, and glanced from Eddie to Buck and back again.  
  
“Is Buck going to be my other daddy?” He exclaimed, still frozen in shock. Eddie and Buck simply nodded, pulling Christopher into a tight hug. The trio stayed like that for a long moment, Buck and Eddie’s new rings shiny against Chris’ black shirt. After several long moments, Christopher spoke up.  
  
“Dad, can we have ice cream sundaes?!” Eddie and Buck looked at each other, unsure which one of them he was asking.  
  
“Of course we can!” Buck answered, picking Christopher up off the couch to carry him to the kitchen. Eddie followed behind, one hand on his fiancé’s back. Chris took off toward the freezer to pull out ice cream as Buck and Eddie hung back in the doorway.  
  
Eddie turned to Buck, “You know, you were scaring me with how nervous you were earlier.”  
  
Buck raised his eyebrows, sighing, “I didn’t know if you’d say yes.”  
  
This amused Eddie, as well as surprised him. Apparently, it hadn’t been obvious how much he loved this man standing beside him.  
  
“A lifetime doesn’t exist where I don’t say yes to you, babe.”  
  
“I do love hearing you say it.” Buck replied, laughter dancing on the edge of his voice.  
  
Eddie smiled, “I’ll say it a million times every single day if that’s what it takes.” With that, he placed a quick kiss on Buck’s cheek before the two joined their son in the kitchen to make ice cream sundaes to celebrate an engagement all of them had expected and been surprised by all at the same time.


End file.
